Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

29 August 2024

Reading From Ezekiel 13-15

Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols.’

–Ezekiel 14:1-5

     The children of Israel were surrounded by idolatry the entire length of their history from Abraham’s family household gods in Ur of the Chaldeans to the pantheon of Egyptian deities to the fertility gods of Canaan to here in Ezekiel, the idols of the Babylonians which most likely was full circle back to those worshipped in Abraham’s lifetime.  With so much physical idolatry all around them and yes, they did actively engage in the detestable and horrific religious rites of these gods and goddesses, Yahweh was concerned with the idolatry they were committing in their hearts. 

     All throughout Scripture and still today, God is concerned with our hearts, the very center of our beings.  When guiding the prophet Samuel to anoint the new king of Israel, Yahweh instructed him not to regard outward appearance, for the Lord looks at the heart.  Proverbs 4:23 warns us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” 

     In the New Testament, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.  A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”[1] 

     From the teachings of Jesus, we also learn that if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery in his heart.  If this were taken literally, then every man without a hormone deficiency would be guilty of cheating.  I believe what is meant by the Lord in this passage is that the intentions of our hearts are every bit as important as our actions. 

     Hebrews 4:12 tells us that, “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  When we read God’s Word, it reads us, right down to our thoughts and intentions.  It is vital that we focus our hearts on the Lord rather than fixating on anything or anyone else and so set up idols in our hearts.

“God, forgive us for placing anything higher than You in our lives.  I pray that You would enjoy first place in our priorities and that our calendars, our bank accounts, our words and our thoughts would reflect Your Lordship.  May we surrender to and function in Your authority in all things.  Amen.”

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

–Philippians 4:8

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.

–Psalm 51:10

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

–Proverbs 3:5-6

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

–Matthew 22:37-40

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[1] Matthew 12:34-37